It is well known to distribute data processing applications across multiple operating systems with a variety of operating system platforms with appropriate interactive interface architecture. For instance, such interface architecture may be used to access applications from multiple operating systems. The architecture supports distributed applications on different hardware and operating system platforms while providing the building blocks for creating a graphic user interface and promoting open systems. The architecture accomplishes this through a server, a client, and the protocol that connects them. The server runs on the hardware in which the display and keyboard are located, providing low-level graphics, windowing, and user input functions. An example of such architecture is DECwindows.TM. Desktop Environment architecture. The client is an application that uses the facilities of a server. The client communicates through a protocol interface that is independent of the operating system and the network transport technology. Because the hardware and dependent graphics are performed with the server, applications are very portable across hardware and operating system platforms.
In such interactive data processing systems, as well as in other application design environments, it is desirable to be able to blank out all the windows of the applications that appear on the "desktop," or display, except for the windows of the application currently being run (e.g., the top most or current application). One way to accomplish this has been to iconify each window of the above applications and make the icon box window, which is non-iconifiable, as small as possible so that it is obscured by a window belonging to the application that is to be displayed. In such a system, when it is necessary to switch to another application, it is necessary to enlarge the icon box window in order to access the icons for that application and then de-iconify each of its windows. This is a very laborious process.
Another approach employs programming to create the illusion of a deep stack of windows, with only those at the very top actually visible. Responsive to operator demand, the top layer of windows turn translucent and dissolve to reveal another layer of windows behind them, and this second layer of windows may in turn be dissolved to reveal still another layer of windows, thereby making it possible to browse through complex arrays of information in simulated three-dimensional space. However, this approach allows only a single layer of windows to be displayed at any time. It is not possible to choose between the windows of the current application being run and all of the other windows.
Still another approach is to provide an operator-controlled function to remove all windows except for those of the current application being run. However, the removed windows do not reappear until the corresponding application is reactivated. Also, displayed icons are not removed by this approach.
It is also desirable to provide a coaching function or feature to get assistance with a particular application feature. One commonly used way to provide the coaching function has been to use the help feature. This approach is disruptive because it requires a conscious interruption to the process work flow.